Charles Brooking (1723-1759) was an English classicist painter whose signature was displaying marine scenes and landscapes. He became famous in 1754 for his paintings the English Flagships in a Moderate Breeze. In his paintings, Brooking capitalized on the knowledge, maritime experience and technical parameters of not only military ships but also fishing boats. He observed and tried to understand the impact of climatic phenomena on the surface of the sea and their power to play with ships, such as in the painting English Ships Before a Gale . Oftentimes, he also embarked on expeditions on his small sailboat. Many of his works are located in the Greenwich Maritime Museum in London.